We spent Thanksgiving with Amy's family and friends. One of the friends was two weeks out from hip replacement surgery, and I was amazed at how well she was doing. She said that one of the things that has been hardest for her was allowing other people to do things for her or help her to do things. I can definitely relate to that, as I would never have been able to survive our recent gathering in Columbus without help from lots and lots of people. I don't ever remember being in that much pain for that long a time, and was barely able to get around, let alone do all the luggage-moving. Lots of folks stepped in and made it possible for me to be able to attend the meeting.It brings to mind the story of the man whose friends brought him to Jesus for healing. They couldn't get in the door, so they took him up to the roof and lowered him down from the roof. Had it not been for his friends that man would not have been able to be there that day, and would not have received his healing. It is often difficult to admit to ourselves that we need help. We tend to be very independent people who don't want to rely on others for anything. But sometimes we have to be willing to just relax and let someone else assist us. I think The Beatles said it best: "I get by with a little help from my friends." And isn't it wonderful to have friends so willing and able to help?​Thank you, God, for the friends you send to us. Thank you for their support, their love, and their assistance, even in times when we don't want to admit we need it. Thank you for able-bodied people who are willing to help when we are weakest. Thank you for doctors, nurses, chiropractors, and physical therapists who help us to get back on our feet and who are instruments of your healing. Thank you for the opportunities we have to be of assistance to others who find themselves unable to do things for themselves.....Amen.

Water Is Life. It is the cry of the thousands of people representing multiple Tribes who have come together to stop a pipeline that would endanger both the Missouri River and the Ogallala Aquifer. Water Is Life. Those of us who live downstream from this proposed pipeline realize the potential for disaster. We have watched helplessly as pipelines burst, tankers run aground, and offshore drilling rigs explode. We have seen and heard of what happens to the wildlife, the plant-life, and the potability of the drinking water. Water Is Life. Once it is damaged, desecrated, it cannot return to its once pristine condition. So much has been damaged through spills, fracking, coal ash run-off. What will we do when there is no more? Water Is Life.I have always appreciated the Prayer Over The Water that is part of our Baptism Ritual. We rehearse many of the ways in which Water has been important to us as people, and to our relationship with God. The rivers in Eden, the waters through which Noah and family survived, the water through which Moses and the Israelites walked, and that which they wished they had as they wandered in the wilderness. Jesus, nurtured in the water of a womb, Baptized by John, feet washed, turned into wine. We begin our spiritual journey in the waters of Baptism, many of us feel closer to God when in or near the ocean, and how much better do we feel when properly hydrated or after a bath or shower? Water Is Life. Literally and Spiritually. Pray for, and support, those who are gathered at Standing Rock.

Loving God, at the beginning of Creation you separated the waters from the dry land. You gave us some for drinking and some for the ocean, lake, and river life to live in. We confess that we have been poor stewards of the water you have gifted to us. This is our wake-up call just as much as the burning Cuyahoga River was in the '70s. May we not only heed the call of those who would protect the water, but join them in whatever way we can. We are so much more aware of the finality of the amount of water available to us, and are finally beginning to do something about it. Send your Spirit to uplift those who Protect, and we who support them. Help us all to be more aware of the interconnectedness of all your Creation....Amen.